Why be bored in school? Go to a Skateboard School! This Toronto District School Board alternative school design program helps students earn high school credits and graduate by creating their own brand and running a skateboard business / professional design studio. OASIS SKATEBOARD FACTORY (OSF) "ON THE GRIND": TDSB's ART & ENTREPRENEURSHIP O.G.s since 2006!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Cowgirl (with inlayed metal rose)



At the end of my first semester at OSF I feel like I’ve done so many things that I never thought I would do… like skateboard.  I’ve always wanted to extend and further develop my artistic ability, and through this program I have had the opportunity to do this in a fun way with a lot of support!

This board was a result of discussions with Paul, one of the OSF teaching interns, about how gender stereotypes limit how we act and see the world around us.  The image I used is the silhouette of a cowgirl holding a pistol, with a rose vine curling up around her body and arm.  The image is supposed to juxtapose ideas of masculinity and femininity, breaking down the opposition that people believe exists between them.

I believe that we give too much power to stereotypes and are too quick to judge people based on what we think they are, without actually getting to know who they are.  Through my board I’m trying to deconstruct the assumptions we make about femininity – she holds power (represented by the pistol), but the metallic vine reminds us that women do not need to rely on violence to gain power and equality.